Adelyn, thinking it was Nigel at the door, hadn’t bothered to prepare herself before opening it.
Her hair was tied up in a ssy bun, with loose strands falling unevenly around her face. She wore a pair of relaxed shorts and an oversized hoodie that looked almost too big for her fra, as if it could swallow her whole.
Reaching for the handle, she pulled the door open, already speaking —
"Cub, you better —"
Her words faltered mid-sentence when she found no one standing outside.
Her brows knitted together in confusion. For a brief mont, she wondered if she had imagined the doorbell.
But just then —
"... Ma—"
A small, hesitant voice reached her.
Adelyn stilled.
Not just because that voice took her by surprise, but also because it made her heart skip a beat —just for a second.
"... Aunt Ade...lyn."
It was soft. Careful. As though the speaker was not quite sure she had the right to say her na.
Adelyn’s gaze slowly dropped downward.
And that’s when she saw it —a small figure, struggling yet holding onto a bag nearly twice her size.
She couldn’t see the child’s face yet, but sothing about that voice felt ... familiar, as if she had heard it before.
"What ... did you call ?" she asked, her tone cautious. Maybe she had misheard.
Why would a little kid co looking for her?
Eira didn’t answer imdiately. Her arms tightened around the bag, and her fingers pressed more into it as if suppressing an emotion inside.
Before coming here, her Dada had told her not to call her Mama.
But she almost had.
Did that an ... her mama was already angry with her?
The thought alone was enough to make her eyes well up. A soft sob slipped past her lips before she could stop it.
Adelyn froze, caught off guard by the sound.
Her brows furrowed as she looked more closely, as if trying to confirm whether the child was truly crying.
"Hey ..." she called gently, crouching down to her level. Carefully, she reached out and took the bag from her hands. "Why are you crying? Did I scare you?"
And then —
She saw her face.
Adelyn stilled.
She hadn’t forgotten her.
The little girl from the restaurant —the one who had nearly shocked her by calling her Mama.
"You ..." she breathed, unable to hide her surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Her gaze instinctively moved past the girl, scanning the corridor —behind her, to either side.
But there was no one.
She was alone.
As if she had found her way here by herself.
Eira sniffled, trying to hold back her tears.
"Eira ... wanted to call you Aunt Ade-lyn," she called in a small voice, carefully pronouncing each syllable. "But by mistake, Eira called Mama ..."
She hesitated, her voice trembling.
"Can you ... please not hate Eira?"
Adelyn blinked, taken aback.
Hate?
That was far too heavy a word for a child this small.
Why did she even think she would hate her? She didn’t even know her.
Had she been harsh before ... that the girl was this afraid over such a tiny mistake?
She didn’t rember, but given how little of an experience Adelyn had around children, that was not totally impossible.
Guilt crept into her chest when she saw her tears.
"No ..." she said softly, her tone far more gentle now. She reached out and lightly held the girl’s arms, careful not to startle her. "Why would I hate you over sothing like that? Hate is a big word. No one uses it so easily ... especially not for sothing this small."
Eira looked up at her, her eyes still watery but no longer overflowing.
"So ... Aunt Ade-lyn doesn’t hate Eira?"
The way she tried so hard to say her na properly made Adelyn’s lips curve into a faint smile.
Shaking her head, she replied, "No, I don’t hate you at all. In fact, ... you’re quite adorable with such pretty eyes." Her hands reached to gently wipe her tears that had rolled down her cheeks. "I think it would be very hard for anyone to hate you."
Eira scrunched her nose, rubbing it lightly as a small blush crept onto her cheeks.
Her Dada had told her the sa thing —that her Mama doesn’t hate her —but hearing it from her mama ... still felt different. It put her at ease.
Adelyn watched her quietly, giving her a mont to settle.
Once she was sure the girl had cald down, she asked, "Now, can you tell —who did you co here for? And ..." her gaze drifted toward the corridor again, a slight frown forming, "who ca with you?"
She was too young to be wandering alone. Surely, no parent would be careless enough to let her co here by herself.
Eira tilted her head slightly before answering.
Eira ca looking for Aunt Ade-lyn."
Adelyn blinked.
"For ?" she repeated, surprised.
Eira nodded firmly, humming a soft, "Mm-hm."
Confusion deepened on Adelyn’s face.
"Why did you co looking for ?" she asked.
Eira didn’t reply right away. Instead, her gaze shifted toward the bag Adelyn had set aside.
Adelyn followed her line of sight.
"That bag?"
Eira nodded. "Eira ca to return the clothes to Aunt Ade-lyn."
"Clothes?" Adelyn echoed, puzzled.
She reached for the bag and opened it —
Then froze.
These ...
She recognized them instantly.
The dress and blazer she had worn yesterday when she went to Imperial View —one that was sent to the laundry.
But how did they end up with this little girl?
"This ... how did you get these?" she asked, her voice a bit quieter now.
"Dada gave them to Eira."
The frown between Adelyn’s brows deepened.
"Dada?" she repeated.
And Eira nodded.
"Who do you call Dada?" Adelyn asked, then paused, trying to think before guessing. "Is it ... your father?"
Eira was about to nod, but before she could —
Realization struck Adelyn.
Her expression shifted, tightening with disbelief.
"Wait ..." she said slowly, her voice lowering.
Is Dylan Warren your father?"
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